New Herman Cain SuperPAC ad: ‘A high-tech lynching’

A slick, dramatic new web ad in support of Herman Cain hammers on the comparison between the allegations against him and the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The spot, from the super PAC Americans for Herman Cain, uses footage of Thomas at his confirmation hearing responding to sexual harassment allegations: “It is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves. It is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured rather than hung from a tree.”

The ad also quotes various black liberals (Al Sharpton, Cornel West) criticizing Cain. At the end the words, “Don’t let liberals do it again” appear on the screen.

As we wrote Thursday, the comparisons to Thomas could work to Cain’s benefit among conservatives. The accusations that Thomas sexually harassed Anita Hill rallied conservatives around the judge, and he remains one of conservatives’ favorite justices.

The ad will appear on the Drudge Report Web site and go out to 25,000 Iowans via e-mail. The group is also making a million calls in Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota and Colorado (the four earliest caucus states) with the same message. They are planning a five-figure television buy for a shorter version of the ad next week.

Meanwhile Cain continues to rise in polls, with seven in 10 Republicans saying the allegations do not matter when it comes to picking a candidate. However, 42 percent of GOP-leaning independents see the allegations against Cain as serious.